Vote for our Dream Love Story Winner!

Thank you so much to all of you who entered our contest to win a Love Shoot photographed by Caroline Tran and styled by Jen of Green Wedding Shoes. We had hundreds of amazing entries. Caroline and I both loved reading your stories of love, how you met, and how you imagined your story told. It was super hard to narrow down to finalists. Last week, we emailed 20 of you and asked you to take a stab at an inspiration board for your session. Thanks for doing that – it will help give readers a better visual and hopefully got the finalists excited about the possibility. And to all you readers, please do consider the inspiration boards, but remember that Caroline + I are here to make the story really come to life – even better than the couple imagined. :)

And now – congrats to our 4 finalists! Please take some time and read their stories and vote for which one you would like to see come to life. Voting will end on Monday March 1 at 8pm Pacific Time. Good luck to everyone!

1. Shannon + ScottWe were married August 21, 2009 among our closest family and friends at my grandparents ranch. Our wedding was perfection, just the perfect weather, wonderful people, and a whole bunch of dancing to celebrate our love. We met back in 2007 through mutual friends and became an official couple a few months after meeting and married a little over a year after! There was nothing holding us back from committing our love and lives to each other. We felt (and feel) so blessed to call the other partner, lover, and best friend. Our relationship is fun, incredibly silly, and full of love. We make everything a game – from who can guess right answers, who can run faster up the stairs, seriously anything and everything is turned into a competition. It’s pure fun, however, Scott swears he will always win regardless of how hard I try. Scott is an avid golfer and is extremely good at the game. I am soon to graduate college and aspire to work in design.

Our dream shoot would be a nod to Scott’s passion for golf and my passion for all things vintage. It would be so wonderful to have a shoot featuring the sport that is so close to my husband’s heart. He loves the history and old style golfers had back then. It would be so special to us to have photos taken of us in our first year of marriage, to capture this new and wonderful journey we are on.

Our dream shoot would take place at a rustic and historical golf course with visually stunning holes and great architectural buildings. It would have a vintage European feel with antique golf attire, knickers, and equipment. Old school country club style infused with dress of the Kentucky derby too. Scott would wear old knickers, argyle socks and shirt, along with a hat of the period. I would be featured in a vintage style dress, giving a nod to the time, along with that style of make up and a fantastic derby hat.

2. Nikki + BryanI am an extrovert and my loving husband, an introvert. But we work. I’m over the top, and he reigns me in. I think of the ideas, and he puts them in action. He’s the brains, I’m the entertainment. We fight, we laugh and we have two crazy dogs that mirror our personalities (yes people really do resemble their pets!). I love my husband to death but he will NOT smile for photos. I either have to use a zoom lens to catch him off guard, or resort to a nipple pinch or tickling to get him to smile. But our wedding day? All smiles. Our photographer was impressed!

How would you want your love story told?: My dream photo shoot would be of us doing some retro camping. I love camping, and always tell my husband stories of how we used to wake up to my dad frying eggs on the tailgate. I love looking at photos of my parents camping when they were newlyweds. I’d love to recreate something like that. I’ve always been a big fan of JCrew’s location shoots. Simple and earthy. Redwing boots and a 5 o’clock shadow. That’s how my husband looks best!

3. Caitlin + SimonSimon and I met while working for Outward Bound in Boston. He was running a training course for future instructors and I was a trainee. Initially, it was just a teacher/student crush…That was over four years ago. There is very little about our relationship that has been convenient.We have done significant stints apart and our relationship has spanned continents. We spend more time in airplanes than we do in our home, which is in Sydney, Australia. We work at sea. We live in Bermuda. My family is in the states. All signs have pointed to our relationship not working … We’re getting married this year. It’s, quite possibly, a marriage of inconvenience. We are th
rilled.

My dream photo shoot would focus on the activities we both enjoy that have kept our relationship strong and have outweighed the obstacles. Primarily surfing and sailing. Ideally, I would love a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-style beach picnic with a classic bathing tent, classy longboards and/or a classic Chris Craft motor launch (I’m flexible, a picture would suffice). Chitty Chitty Bang Bang doesn’t hold significant meaning to us, but we both often find ourselves with the song stuck in our head!!

4. Amanda + DanielWe met on the track and field team at Shippensburg University. I was a freshman and he was a senior. I never even knew he existed – he was a distance freak, and I stuck to the field events. Our paths just never crossed, even though we were on the same team. The first time meeting him for me was a “well hel-LO and where have you been all my life?!”Instant attraction. And like I said before, I first saw him at a meet. AND he was reading Harry Potter! Track and Harry Potter are two of my favorite things – obviously this one is a keeper! Apparently, he knew who I was for quite a while, but thought I was “out of his league” so he didn’t even try! Stupid :)

We are a random, weird, fun-loving, never serious, sarcastic couple. We love a good time, track & field, and most importantly each other. We were made for each other. Right now we are living in Shippensburg, PA while I finish my senior year at Shippensburg University. I’m on the track team and he is an assistant coach there. His dream is to be a Division I cross country coach, and I’ll follow him anywhere so he can pursue that dream. I would love to be a personal trainer. As long as we are together and it’s warm outside! We are, however, EXTREMELY anxious to leave PA. We are ready for a change. California would be a dream! :)

Our dream shoot, of course, has to be on a track. At least part of the time. Track and field is a major part of both of our lives and it’s how we met! I’m not talking about t-shirts and running shorts though. Let’s bring some glam to the track (it doesn’t see it that often, haha). Making a “trash the dress”-ish engagement session would be even more fun – roll around in the long jump pits. Play in the steeple chase pool. We are adventurous and are not afraid to try anything! Anything fun that will make us laugh! Following up at an amusement park or somewhere outside would be ideal. Again, I’m talking about bringing glam and sexyness to the outside :) A lake or in the woods! Or running around an amusement park for a day.

Shannon & Scott's shoot sounds the SOO interesting and fun!!!! I love love the vintage look and to have a gorgeous hat and whimsical lighting…and then to incorporate your husband's love into it is just perfect!!!

They're all great but I really love the idea of doing a 'camp' style shoot myself so that was my decider. There's a beautiful camp spot in Australia that would've been perfect before the fires came through. I'm, sure you'll find something similar. It has bushland hills and lakes and a beautiful little waterfall. I love water shots, they always look sooooo romantic. Good luck! :)

I love Amanda and Daniel's story.Reminds me of my own lovestory, cute and simply funny. Romance is always nice and incredibly sweet when it's filled with surprises,the good and bad stuff. That's the challeng of love!!!!

I LOVE the idea of an engagement shoot on a track. I love lines+numbers and love taking pictures of things with lines+numbers on them. I see images of a great pair of heels lined up perfectly with the lines on the track. And Caroline Tran can definitely rock a shoot like this!!

This was such great news to wake up to!! The boards look great. Can’t it just be a four-couple shoot? I’m thinking vintage camping, with surfboards and golf clubs on a track! Hmm?! Cameo appearances, at least…? Thanks Caroline and Jen!

I love Amanda and Daniel's idea. They get my vote. It's unique to them and their story.

I don't understand what is not to get about Amanda and Daniel's theme. They want their photos on a track. Because they both are both runners and do track. I thought it was pretty clearly stated in the story.

Jen, I would love to do something like this with you. I’ve always wanted to do some sort of “wedding giveaway” or “complimentary e-session” for a couple who is well deserving of it. I love the idea of a contest. Contact me if you ever feel like you have more ideas along this route and want to be in on it with myself. :)
Thanks for always sharing your awesomeness!